Spring, age 8.

As we enter the port of Bightkeep, I stand at the bow, speechless.

The city is cut from marble. Everything from walls and towers to residential homes are constructed by pure marble. I stare across the city. It's big, enormous even. The city walls are seventy feet tall, with round towers every hundred yards reaching into the air. Along the port there are tens of building several stories high, each covered half-way by vines, same as the walls. The city stretches for miles in both directions along the shore, Ivory towers cutting into the skyline, many of which have an ultramarine spire and gorgeous ornamental markings on the side of the tower.

``Impressive, is it not?'' [Shale]

``Yeah.. How did they make all of this in marble?'' [Nathan]

``Earth magicians raised the rock from below, and molded into shape. This entire area is marble rock.'' [Shale]

``But, this amount. It must have taken-'' [Nathan]

``Centuries. The Bightkeep academy is renowned far and wide, and they train the earth elemental students by having them raise and shape the marble. When we get closer, you will be able to see the imperfections that are left by their lack of experience. They each get to put their mark on the city, and even those who could do it flawlessly never do. No one get a perfect grade in that class.'' [Shale]

Several river distributaries continue into the city, a particularly large one at the middle. As our boat enter it, I get a closer look at the buildings on the side of the channel. They do indeed have several dark seams where the marble has been fused, some much clearer than others.

The city is busy. There are several big ships docked along the port, many of which are offloading cargo and a few are recruiting from the locals. The streets are packed with people, and even the channels are crowded. They stand out so vividly against the whiteness of the buildings. They are all wearing colored robes ornated with gold and silver on the trim, in all hues of red, green and blue, with the occasional yellow purple and cyan. Many show their colorful hair, always matching their robe, but a few have a hood over their head. There are all kinds of Kin and Kieth. Everything from owls to mice, from turtles to frogs. Some look human at a glance, and others you would never mistake for human in the darkest nights.

As we pass under a bridge across the channel, I see intricate patterns extruding from the shapen rock. Along with a single sentence:

Eternal sanctuary by the will of the Gods and the blood of the King

``Bightkeep is one of the safest places in the world, they have a large military force dedicated to keeping the city and the lands around it safe. As a result it is a center of trade and education, and wield great political power for a city state. The council of viceroys are some of the most respected leaders in the world, and have lead the city to glory and prosperity.'' [Shale]

``There is no king?'' [Nathan]

``There was.. Three hundred years ago he lead a subjugation force personally. Left the city in the care of the viceroys. He never returned, and he had no heirs. Their counsel convenes at the keep, you will see it right up ahead soon.'' [Shale]

The boat passes a bend in the channel, and the city reveals the keep.

The color stands in contrast to the white of the city. The keep itself is made in the same white marble as the rest, but it's ornated with ruby red, jade green and lazuli blue motifs of mages and magic on the walls and the towers. It's on the middle of a large river island, three grand bridges extending across the channels. At the opposite side of each bridge, a single building stood out above the rest. On one side, a huge unpolished rock with a single gate leading into it, surrounded by a naked lawn. On another, a much more intricate building covered in water that poured down from the top leading down into several artificial ponds, taking the place of a garden. And on the last side, a single ivory tower stretching further into the sky than any other in the city.

``The white cathedrals. The orders of Earth, Water and Air have their local headquarters here. Your graduation will be held in the tower, as you will be studying as a student of Air.'' [Jessica]

``Those are churches?'' [Nathan]

``They are, yes. The order of Earth have their churches in the earth, the order of Water in the water, and the order of Air in the, well, air. Most places that simply means that the order of the Earth dig a hole, the order of the Water find a pond, and the order of the Air do it in a high place. Here, they were given cathedrals because of their dedication to the city.'' [Jessica]

``They are separate orders?'' [Nathan]

``Both yes and no. They have their own traditions, and function apart from each other, but they have never been at odds with each other, and ceremonies are always open to everyone. It is simply that most people go to worship in the church of their primary element. Weddings are often performed in each church, but that depends on the elements of the bride and groom. If none of them are capable of using a given element, that order is often left out of the ceremony. Instead, the priest will attend their ceremony as an honored guest, and in return the priest will give them his god's blessing.'' [Jessica]

Passing the keep and continuing into the heart of the city, the scenery changes. Before there were large company headquarters and storage buildings, now replaced with walled mansions and residential complexes. This part of the city is much less busy, but there are still people on the streets, and children can occasionally be heard playing in the gardens. Many of the mansion walls have lustrous murals in a single color, but just as many have murals in two or three colors, always depicting something related to their associated element. I call them murals, but they were shimmering in the sun like gemstones.

``Hey dad, how do they make those murals?'' [Nathan]

``Hm? Those are crystals made by earth magicians, embedded into the marble with magic. They gather up minerals from the ground and refine them with spells, your daggers were made the same way.'' [Shale]

``They are beautiful..'' [Nathan]

``Many things are in Bightkeep..'' [Shale]

He puts on a distant look and stares briefly across the bow.

My mom puts her hand on my shoulder from behind me.

``But you should not put your guard down, do not go out too late at night, and remember not to follow strangers.'' [Jessica]

``You do not need to worry mom, I would never do that.'' [Nathan]

I give her a reassuring look before looking back at the shining murals.

Before long a large circular building comes into view.

``What is that?'' [Nathan]

``The Silver Arena. The city and the academy both orchestrate yearly tournaments, some students only and some are open to the public. We will pass right past it, part of the river is diverted into the floor of the arena.'' [Shale]

``Really?'' [Nathan]

``Yeah, water magicians are at a big disadvantage if they do not have access to water when they fight, so in order to keep things fair water can be added to the arena.'' [Shale]

As the boat drew nearer to the arena, the reason behind it's name became apparent. Made in the same marble as the rest of the city, it was adorned with silver instead of colored gems. Seemingly larger than the Colosseum, it stood out majestically even among the beautiful ivory buildings of the city, arches and coulombs taller than our house.

As we rounded a corner, tens of statues lined a walkway leading from the arena to a grand bridge, a single statue standing out above the rest.

``Past grand champions. That large one is the last king, he fought in the arena as per tradition, and he was absolutely peerless.'' [Shale]

The statue portrayed a lizard-kin warrior with a large shield and a drawn dual-edged long-sword. At his side he had the scabbard of his sword and an undrawn dagger.

``He founded the orders of The Sword and The Shield.'' [Jessica]

``What are those?'' [Nathan]

``Mercenary orders that either defend citizens and cities, or hunt for monsters. Many join one or the other at one point in their life. Actually, your father and I were both members of the order of the Sword.'' [Jessica]

``Not really surprising.'' [Nathan]

My dad shortly cracks a smile.

Our boat continues it's journey up the river, past the arena and the rest of the residential area, which grows less and less impressive for every bend in the river. Finally, we reach the academy.